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Ta Prohm
Ta Prohm was a temple in Cambodia. It served as a gateway to the hidden Stegoceratops colony. Only those who proved their purity could pass through. History Ta Prohm was constructed in 1186 by Jayavarman VII of the Khmer Empire. Originally it was called Rajavihara. The main temple was dedicated to the goddess Prajñāpāramitā, the goddess of transcendent wisdom in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Two smaller temples were dedicated to the king's guru, Jayamangalartha, and his older brother. Over 12,500 people lived in Ta Prohm, including eighteen high priests and 615 dancers, as well as around eight hundred thousand people in the surrounding villages who provided supplies to the temple. Stegoceratopses were welcome here, and presumably inhabited the temple as well as the nearby villages; evidence for this includes what is believed to be a carving of a Stegoceratops found in the temple. Riches were amassed in the temple over time. Expansions to the temple were constantly made throughout its history. However, during the fifteenth century, Stegoceratopses began to face discrimination as the Khmer Empire was affected by a drought. Their growing population had also put strain on the Empire's water system. Trees cleared to make room for rice fields caused erosion to increase, also ruining the rivers. Some people blamed Stegoceratopses for this, as they had to eat more food than humans; the last Emperor, Joninashiparthua Wala, took advantage of this latent prejudice to enslave Stegoceratopses and strip them of their human rights. Ta Prohm became the last refuge for the Stegoceratops race. It was used as a gateway to a colony where they could remain safe, with enchantments in place ensuring that no one bearing ill will toward Stegoceratopses could enter. In 1482, the Stegoceratops remaining outside the temple were massacred under Wala's orders, but despite this, the Khmer Empire fell by the end of the fifteenth century. After the fall of the Khmer Empire, Ta Prohm was abandoned for hundreds of years. Nature reclaimed it, growing over the temples. In 1992, UNESCO declared that Ta Prohm should be a World Heritage Site, as the photogenic combination of architecture and nature made it a popular site to visit. In the early 21st century, the École Française d'Extrême-Orient set out to keep it as it had been found, to preserve its appearance. In spite of this, some maintenance was done on the temple to keep up the appearance of abandonment without actually letting it be consumed by the jungle. In 2013, the Archaeological Survey of India restored many parts of the temple and rebuilt some parts from scratch. Today, Ta Prohm is one of Cambodia's most prominent and heavily-visited tourist sites. A bas-relief of a Stegoceratops was discovered during the renovations and brought to the attention of Julia Spurr, who took an image of it to Claire Dearing for identification. Most modern archaeologists believe that this supposed Stegoceratops is actually supposed to be a rhinoceros or a boar with a leafy background, and others suggest it is meant to be a chameleon.Category:Locations